City of the Daleks
by Mountain King
Summary: Stargate Atlantis Doctor Who crossover. Shepherd's team come across some strange looking aliens. Meanwhile the Doctor decides to visit some old friends in the city, but he's a little late...
1. Intro and Teaser

City of the Daleks.  
Introduction and teaser.  
Introduction

Just a quick idea. What if the Atlantis expedition finds an unexpected creature in the Pegasus Galaxy? Of course they'll need a Doctors help and as I'm tired of reading unimaginative Rose/Ninth or Tenth Doctor stories I think I'll dust off an old friend, let's wait and see who...

Disclaimer  
Doctor Who and related characters belong to the BBC (save for the Daleks, that is co-owned by the estate of Terry Nation).

Stargate Atlantis on the other hand belongs to MGM/Acme Shark.The plot is mine but I don't make a profit out of it.

* * *

Teaser:-

'So where the hell are we?' John asked McKay.

'Do I look like the tour guide? Do I have a map to the unexplored planets of the Pegasus Galaxy in my back pocket?' The irritating scientist answered a bit too quickly.

'No.' John growled. 'You have the life-signs detector and your leading us down a Wraith passage.' the Lieutenant Colonel sighed.

'Technically Ronon's leading us.' The Canadian pointed out.

The tall Setedan took time from scouring every corner, nook and cranny with his pistol to glare at the self declared smartest man in Atlantis; 'Which way now McKay?'

He shook the small device, turned it up side down and then right way round; 'That way.' McKay pointed at the wall, in the opposite direction the tunnel curved

Ronon sighed and checked a near by doorway. 'We can go this way.' He flicked a switch on his pistol and fired, blowing the doors apart.

Tayla, the final member of the team, spoke up from the back of the group. 'I still do not understand. What happened here and what we are doing exploring a crashed Wraith cruiser.'

McKay shook the detector again. 'It's simple. We came through the gate and found a Wraith ship gutted from the inside. It also had a flying saucer wedged in the ground next to it. Now somebody flew that saucer, the Wraith shot them down and bit off more than they could chew. Now I found three blips on this thing and we're going to introduce ourselves.'

'And what if they are the Wraith?' She asked.

'Wraith blips are like ours.' McKay waved it at her. 'These aren't normal readings.'

John snatched the detector and got his first good look. The scientist had been guarding the little thing like his private stash of coffee. Instead of the usual white circles there were three purple triangles with nasty spikes coming out of them. 'What the... ' The blips vanished; 'McKay?'

'I said they were difficult to see.'

'Yes but that's called vanishing.' John was losing patience with the annoying man. 'If I was to ask what the hell they were would you have an answer?'

'No. That's why we're going to find out what they are.'

'Found them.' Ronon called and pointed with his gun down the corridor. At the far end there were three six foot tall dustbins, all sat facing each other. All three looked alike. The bottom half was tall and had a shallow wedge at the front. It was covered in small globes. Just above that slant was two sticks on what the group guessed was the front of what ever they were. The first ended in a ridiculous looking plunger and the other shorter one had a sort of cage around it. A top dome was held above that with a pattern of slats. On the dome there was a short stalk with another globe like eye thing, as well as the stalk on opposite sides were two dead light bulbs.

The only difference between the three were their colours. Two of them were a sort of off white with silver highlights while the third had black globes across its bottom half and darker slats.

'Weird looking guys aren't they?' John asked

'Huh. Oh that's right.' Rodney exaggerated a slap on his forehead 'Super-advanced aliens from another galaxy are supposed to look human. I forgot. Hey! Fire burns in space without oxygen too. And did you hear we've also perfected a universal translator too!'

'That was not funny McKay.'

'Yes it was.' They had made it to the aliens by now. John didn't bother saying it but they were tacky.

'They do not appear to be that dangerous.' Tayla said

Ronon poked one with his pistol. 'That's because their not moving.'

'Wonderful observation there. These things aren't dead, they are in some sort of status. Also they ain't robots, there is something still alive in them.'

John looked at McKay. 'Rodney, this ship landed almost a thousand years ago. These things totalled it that long ago and they are still alive?'

'Well they would have to be to show up on a life signs detector wouldn't they?'

John had just about enough for one day. 'Right. They aren't going to move themselves no matter how alive, we take them back to Atlantis and find out what they are there.'

* * *

Somewhere not in space or time a short man in baggy chequered pants and a pudding bowl hair cut turned to his young friends. 'I know just where we should go next!' he said, before playing a little tune on his recorder...

End teaser


	2. Chapter 1

City of the Daleks.  
Chapter One

Elisabeth looked up as John came into her office. Closing her tablet computer down she asked; 'Any troubles?'

'Nope if they are alive they're not moving. Rodney and Zelenka still say they are alive but asleep.'

'How?'

'Well Rodney thinks the pepper-shakers have little guys built into them. Cybernetics or something like that.'

'Really, interesting. I take it they're having fun?'

'Like kids with a new toy... What the heck?'' A low grinding sound filled the room and a flashing blue light began glowing somewhere.

'Doctor Weir to Stargate Control.' The two of them almost jumped out of her office

'What's going on?' They asked at the same time. The light was growing brighter and the sound louder.

The sergeant pointed and a few feet from the Stargate something was phasing in and out of existence. Suddenly the sound crashed to a stop and the light on the top of the object died.

John took a few steps to the balcony 'Is it my imagination or is that a phone box?'

Elisabeth looked at it, there was something familiar about it. A tall blue box, made of wood with a flashing light. Where had she heard of that sort of thing before? A door opened on the side facing them and a short man came out. He was quickly followed by a young woman and a man in a kilt.

The strange man frowned for a second before the entire scene was covered in energy bolts. 'Get back in the...' he was hit by a stunner blast and stumbled into the side of the box.

The Scottish boy reached for him but he to was taken down

'Stop firing! Elisabeth cried out, looking around she saw two of her guards with Wraith stunners take down the girl from the top of the stairs.

The strange man somehow pulled himself back to his feet before another two stun bursts caught him in the back. Finally dropping him.

John was about two steps behind her as she stormed up to the two guards. 'Just what the HELL were you two thinking!?' she screamed.

The taller looked at her, confusion written across his face; 'Our job, Sir. We're supposed to protect the gate room.'

The shorter spoke up. 'That's right. Sir'

John blurted out, 'Who are you guys?'

'We were transferred sir. From the Daedalus last week.'

'Right, of course you were. First things first; you shoot like first year cadets! My four year old niece could shoot better than you, and I don't have a four year old niece. Second; since when does three people without so much as a pointy stick between them count as a Shoot On Sight threat?'

'They could have been Wraith, Sir.' the talkative one answered, Elisabeth glanced and noted the American flags on the two of them.

'Alright, you two give your stunners to Ronon and get back to your quarters. Stay there until I figure out what to do with you.'

Following orders the two barely had the brains to cringe from the death look Ronon gave the two of them. John slumped down onto one of the stairs. 'Marines, I think one of the requirements:- must have IQ under 50.'

Beckett and his medical team ran in from one of the side doors carrying stretchers and quickly set to work examining the new guests 'That much huh?' Elisabeth agreed, still looking down at the blue box. Where had she heard about a blue box?

Tayla was helping the medical team load the trio of guests onto stretchers. Elisabeth watched as her friend poked her head into the open door before recoiling, 'By the Ancestors, it's bigger on the inside!'

'This is going to be one of those days.' John hopped to his feet and then down the stairs. After a moment he vanished inside the box.

Ronon came back with two new guards. He must have said something to them both because, even though she remembered them from the original expedition, they looked nervous. 'Where's Shepherd?'

John came out of the box. 'Alright, I'm going to hate myself for saying this but someone get Rodney.'

'Agreed' Tayla said looking distinctly shell shocked.

* * *

'I'm just saying it must still be alive.' Radek insisted to, well his friend he guessed you could call him.

Rodney gulped another mouthful of coffee. 'Well of course it is.' Just some times Radek wished his friend wasn't so... Rodney like.

'No no no no, that's not my point.' Radek walked around the odd one out. The two of them had put that one onto a lab gantry and a couple of their fellow scientists were scanning various parts. 'This whole shell must be to protect and transport what ever is inside.'

'Why else would they be inside them?' Rodney sighed, still not letting Radek finish.

'So as far as we know this could be a form of stasis, hibernation maybe. Created by this armour...'

He caught on, 'And they might be waiting for a signal telling them rescue is here. Good idea, hey get away from there.' the last bit he aimed at their two co-workers. Rodney headed to the table with his equipment scattered across. 'Right, if they are waiting rescue they've got to be broadcasting something so that they can be found. But it would have to be very weak, otherwise that would have happened already.'

'Not really. They could just be very far away.' Williams said. He was wearing an American flag on his arm but Radek knew he had an Irish family. 'and not have the power to reach their home. I mean you said they took out a wraith cruiser, on their own, That must have taken something out of them.'

Rodney snapped his fingers, 'So we rig up a little subspace receiver, rifle through the frequencies we need and Bob's our uncle.' Radek watched him frown for a moment. 'Is it just me that doesn't like this. Sure the whole enemy of our enemy thing is sound in theory but the whole friends part, never that sure.'

'McKay!' Ronon stormed in. 'Come on.'

'What? No. I've got to stay here I've got lots of work to do. I don't have time to play around.' He complained but the big guy grabbed him by the collar and literally hefted the obnoxious Canadian onto his shoulder. 'What?' Put me down! Ronon?'

Radek shouted after them 'Rodney, I'll help explain to Dr Weir. It won't take that long. You two try to identify the right frequency. Good.'

Radek chased after Rodney and Ronon, Even carrying the complaining scientist the Satedan commando was fast.

Finally catching up with them he saw Ronon throw Rodney into a tall blue box. Colonel Shepherd laughed and played a round of rock-paper-scissors with his team mate. Colonel Shepherd lost and followed Rodney inside.

Radek had no idea what was going on but he knew Dr Weir would know and she would tell him. Making his way up to her office he saw the whole control room alive. They were checking sensor logs and the read outs. It looked like they were finding nothing.

Inside the office The expedition leader was flicking through her tablet computer very quickly. 'What is it you are looking for Elisabeth?' Tayla asked. She was hovering, casting the odd glance to the box.

'Found it!' Dr Weir cried out. 'SG-1 mission reports. Almost seven years ago, what's... Radek I'm going to need your help with this.' She turned the screen to face him. Over the mission report the was a huge image.

' "U.N.I.T. Classified under the United Nations Intelligence Task-force".' He read aloud while checking the water-mark. The whole image was built in to the report. The only thing you could do was read around it. He kept reading it anyway:- ' "All subjects relating to the above are classified under UN charter of 1968. Please contact U.N.I.T command and quote Code 9 infraction, research." I did not know that the UN had access to SGC files.'

'They don't. Officially they don't even know it exists. Only a few member states are part of the IOA.' Dr Weir never looked up from the screen.

'So how can a UN Task-force classify our own records.' He asked.

Tayla coughed politely. 'What is this unit?'

Dr Weir turned to her. 'Few people on Earth have heard of them. They're a military based counter terrorist organisation. Mostly they protect experimental technologies and test them covertly.'

'I did not think the U.N could do that. Not without the permission of all the counties involved?'

'They can't. Officially U.N.I.T. exists as an international defence force to protect the Earth from alien invasion but that's just a cover story.'

'Why?' Tayla asked with a tilt of her head.

'It's ridiculous, a covert multinational intelligence force defending the Earth for years...' She trailed off. Radek realised what she had.

They looked at each other. '1968!' they said together shocked at the implications.

* * *

Ian Williams punched the air; 'Found it! We've found the frequency!'

His English co-worker turned to him, 'Great, I'll call McKay!'

'What? James think about it. If we wake them up we make first contact. We get the glory and there's nothing that bastard can do about it. We call him, we'd never hear the end of how we couldn't do it without him and he gets the credit.'

'I hear you. We can get the drop on him.' James laughed

'... and the credit! Hell we pull this off and were the golden boys of the science department. We'd had pulled on over on McKay!' Ian gloated, already planing his little heroic speech. To a man the entire science contingent of Atlantis hated McKay.

James looked at the readings. 'No wonder it was difficult, the signal is incredibly weak. We'll need power, or they will at least.'

Nothing could take the wind out of Ian's sails now; 'Power? What do you see over there.' he pointed at a case. 'A Naquada reactor! since we're running on that ZPM we're not using them. We just hook one of these guys to one, didn't you find what you said was a power point?'

His friend ginned back. Oh yes, McKay's day was over!

* * *

'My name is Carson Beckett. I'm a doctor.' he said. The boy had just come around and was not looking happy. 'Can you tell me your name?'

'Jamie McCrimmon.' His country-man answered trying to sit up. 'What happened to us?'

'Aye, that was our fault, sorry. A couple of our guards were shocked by your arrival. Being American they shot first, shot again and asked questions later.' From the look he was getting Carson carried on. 'We have a few Wraith stunners, the guards were armed with them. They're not supposed to kill, they disrupt your central nervous system, effecting your muscle co-ordination as well as delivering a charge that numbs the body... They knock you out.' he finished lamely when he realised the boy had almost no idea what he was on about.

'Victoria? The Doctor?' he asked

The lass is fine, still sleeping well. As for the man, I canna say.' Carson looked over to the short man lying on the scanner table. 'He was hit more than once but that doesn't seem to be the problem. It's like he's in a coma, only more so. Multiple stunner blasts shouldn't do that. At worst they're effects should just last longer.'

'But the Doctor isn't human, it could hurt him. Couldn't it?'

'We guessed that. That's why he's on the scanner. It'll see if there's anything the matter we can fix.' As Carson spoke the scanner stopped and slid back. 'See there's the results.' he pointed to the Atlantis screen next to the bed.

It flickered for a short while then, on the top layer of information large orange words stood out:- "Race Identified. Time-Lord. Danger Extreme".

Hatches in the walls flashed open, Glowing red lights pulsed from the openings and Carson got the feeling that the entire city was coming alive with alarms. 'Oh this is going to go well.'

End Chapter One

Authors note:-  
Okay its a short one, just over three pages but come on, can you ask for a better group of cliff-hangers?


	3. Chapter 2

City of the Daleks.  
Chapter Two

Rodney got to his feet and looked around. The room was stark white and didn't look anything like Atlantis. There was no light source but everything was well lit. Shepherd walked in through the double doors 'So McKay?'

'So? So what?' Rodney walked around the console that took up the middle of the room.

'Rodney, where are we?'

The scientist thought about it for a moment, he was thrown into a blue box. 'Well obviously... We're...' Rodney had one of his trademark brilliant flashes. 'We are not actually "in" the box. We're in a layer of sub-space accessed through a trans-dimensional portal projected inside the blue box which acts as moving door. Ha!'

'So we're not in the box?' Shepherd asked again.

Rodney had to admit it, he was brilliant. It would take anyone else weeks to deduce the true nature of this place. 'No. Nope. There is no way we can be in that box.'

Shepherd didn't look convinced. 'Right, so if I asked Ronon to rock it we wouldn't feel anything?'

'Well that's pointless, even with the doors open there's no way sound could travel through the portal but go ahead shout all you want.'

'I can hear you guys you know.' The caveman shouted from outside. Rodney felt his mouth drop. That wasn't possible. 'Hold on to something.' Came from outside before the entire place was rocked like a Star Trek set from the original show.

Flying off his feet Rodney bounced of one of the white walls and collided into Shepherd, who was also sent flying. 'Wrong, not once but twice Rodney!' the colonel shouted as Ronon stopped.

'No I wasn't! I was wrong ONCE, about two things.' It was at that point a klaxon screeched from outside.

'Shepherd! Something is wrong!' Shepherd was on his feet and out in a flash. Rodney spent a full second deciding which was more important, being right or changing the subject, before he ran after him outside and back to the gate room.

* * *

John threw himself up the stairs, the Ancient writing on them flashed an angry red. Glancing up to the control room pulsing text covered every screen and no one knew what was happening. 'Elisabeth?'

'John, we're locked out of the city. Door's in and out of the gate room are sealed and the computers aren't responding.'

'Not true.' Zelenka pushed between them. 'They are responding but apparently there is some sort of classified lockout of the main system. We're working on a limited mode. The shield is active, long range sensors are off, and the 'gate controls are all secured and controlled from somewhere else. It's some sort of classified protocol.'

McKay sat down next to the other scientist. 'What do you mean classified? I didn't think there was anything classified in all the Ancient's database.'

'There wasn't, at least not anything we had found yet.' Zelenka answered. 'The classified section must be hidden somewhere else in the system.'

'So it's hidden and classified?' John clarified

'Yes.' McKay answered in that singularity annoying condescending way of his. 'And I have just accessed it. Lets see I'll search for "Time Lord Detected".'

'We know what it say's but what is a Time Lord?' Elisabeth asked

McKay tapped a few times on the panel and sat up straight. Zelenka cursed in his own language. After a beat McKay breathed in. 'Okay, the Ancients had a scale for alien races, one to eight, with nine being Ascended.'

'Let me guess, they were ten.' John said to Elisabeth.

'No, nine.' Radek said, 'but the Ancients classed their own civilisation as level seven.'

'We're around three point five, it's a scale to do with inventions and scientific knowledge. This is not good, alright listen to this:-' McKay traced his finger across the screen. ' "Much like their fairy tails in our history, the Time Lords have demonstrated a mastery of both time and space beyond any other people encountered. Their homeworld was found in a cluster of seven star systems, a ship was sent to make contact. It was returned through a free forming wormhole before it got close enough to make contact." In other words they threw it down a wormhole without a Stargate to contain it. With that technology you could travel one end of this universe to the other.'

'Nice.' John admired

'You would say that. We're talking about wormhole physics that goes beyond the Ancients, the Asguard... Even the Ori need a Super-Gate on both ends to send something the size of a ship trough a wormhole. The Time Lords had one device, at best, and used it like the Asguard use their beam technology.'

Zelenka was still reading, 'Not good, that is not all; There were two more expeditions sent. The second was returned without a ship, the third all five ships were returned, their crews regressed to children.'

'What?' John could hardly believe what he was hearing.

'According to this, the second ship that was sent the crew was teleported back to Earth without their vessel. The crew with no memory of the journey to the planet or how they got back. Interplanetary transport at that sort of range? It's by all means possible to use a ring platform to beam to an orbiting body, much further than Asguard Beams but...'

'They can do without the lecture Radek.' McKay snapped

'Actually I think John was asking about the children thing. I know I would be.' Elisabeth said.

'Oh boy. That's just the tip of the iceberg.' McKay seemed to scroll down. 'Right, the third and final attempt wasn't an exploration. Five Ancient warships were sent. According to this they saw what happened to their other two as threats and wanted to prove their strength and negotiate from a position of power.

'They lost contact as the fleet entered hyperspace and they were simply returned the moment they left. All on board were reduced to three and four year olds. No damage done to the ships, not a single drone fired. At the same time a stranger appeared in the Ancients capitol, this was before they built Atlantis.

'This guy that appeared just told the Ancients to leave them alone. That his race were the Time Lords and if they continued to get in their way they would deny the Ancients space travel.'

John had to stop him there. 'Hang on, hang on. These Time Lord guys could do that?'

Zelenka looked up. 'Colonel; if these people have a tenth of the power demonstrated in this record they could.'

'He's right. The possibility of time travel? They could go back in time to the fifties and kick off a nuclear holocaust.' McKay explained

'Introduce a virus to Earth's past killing of our ancestors.' Zelenka added

'Okay, time travel bad. We get that.' Ronon spoke up for the first time. 'If they are so powerful why don't they just step in and help against the Wraith?'

'Same treason the Ancients don't?' John asked.

'No I don't think so. The Ancients have ascended, these people are still human, well human like. Maybe they just don't want to get involved.'

'Surly, Elisabeth, any civilised race would help if an entire galaxy of people were enslaved.' Tayla frowned. 'These people sound civilised do they not?'

McKay lent back 'Well that level of technology certainly suggests something like a civilisation. The only question is what type of civilisation? Vengeful? Vindictive? something else beginning with "V" that means we're all going to die?'

'Here's a thought, we have one of these people in the infirmary. Why don't we ask?' Ronon suggested. 'But first can we stop these lights flashing everywhere?'

* * *

Jamie watched as the lights died and slid back into the walls. The young highlander would be lying if he said he understood half the things he saw while travelling with the Doctor but he knew enough. The people around him had very little idea what as going on and the Doctor had made a terrible mistake.

Victoria had recovered as well. Woken up by the noise and light she had refused to stay in bed and was half crouched at his side. Whether she was ready to run or pounce like a wild cat Jamie couldn't tell, the look in her eye told him she had very little idea herself.

His fellow Scotsman was busy hovering over the Doctor. A strange box in one hand; 'At least that bloody noise has stopped. I can't make heads nor tails of this. His blood shouldn't work, two hears that are barley working and a brain that isn't. As far as I can tell he's dead, but still breathing. Just'

'The Doctor can't be dead!' Victoria cried.

'No love, he's not dead. Just in some sort of coma that I don't understand.'

The young woman pushed past Carson and grabbed the Doctors hand; 'But he will wake up won't he?'

'Hush Victoria!' The Doctor whispered loudly. 'Don't move. We've been captured by Wraith.'

'Doctor! Your alright!' Jamie said. Ha, even now the Doctor could out think this lot.

'Jamie, do be quiet! The Wraith suck the very life out of you. Both of you pretend to be dead until I think of something... Don't say anything.' Carson was waving that box over the Doctor's head and shaking it.

'Nothing!' Either this bloody thing's useless or doesn't work on him.' he grumbled and threw the box away.

'Jamie? That didn't sound like you?'

'Aye, that's because it's not me.' The highlander answered and a single eye opened.

'Oh... Hello, and who are you then?' The Doctor asked, a single eye darting around.

'I'm Dr Carson Beckett... How do you feel?'

His one open eye blinked, slowly.

'Aye, right you are then. Sorry about the guards shooting you but that's the bloody yanks for you. Always blazing away.'

'What's a Scotsman doing in the city of Atlantis?'

'I'm part of an expedition from Earth. We came here looking for the Ancients and found their city. We set up base and explore this galaxy.'

A group of strangers entered 'Oh you're awake. Why didn't you tell us Carson?' the brunette woman said.

'Hadn't gotten around to it just yet.' He shrugged as the Doctor got up.

'Ahh. I take it your the manager here?' he said

'Well yes.' she was taken aback but smiled politely. 'My name is Dr Elisabeth Weir. This is Colonel Shepherd. Doctor's McKay and Zelenka are from our science department and these are Tayla and Ronon. Natives to this galaxy, they help us against the Wraith.' She introduced the others with her.

The Doctor reached out and shook her hand enthusiastically. 'A pleasure to meet all of you. I feel like I am in good company with all my namesakes here. I'm the Doctor, of course, and these are my friends Jamie and Victoria. Now if you'd excuse me we have a pressing engagement in another Galaxy.' Finally he let go of the woman. 'Come on. Quickly!' he muttered.

Jamie had travelled with the Doctor long enough to ask him fool questions, at least in front of people that shoot at them. Victoria on the other hand. 'What about the friend we came to visit?'

'He's dead by now. Or very much like it.' The Doctor grabbed her hand. Now come along Victoria!'

'Wait. If this is about our guards shooting you I understand. You have to believe me it was an accident.' Elisabeth said half backing away and half putting herself between them and the door.

'Sausages! An accident is one or two shots. You shot at us the moment we came out of the TARDIS without warning.'

'Be fair.' the one called Shepherd stepped in front of her, the big man called Ronon by his side. 'You just appeared out of nowhere and scared the crap out of us. Sure those guys were morons but come on, cut us a little slack.'

'Hey now you listen here.' Jamie always hated bullies, if the Doctor wanted to leave he wasn't going to let these two get in their way. 'You ain't gonna stop us so get out of the way.'

The big man looked at him. 'You think I'm scared of a boy in a skirt?'

'Skirt? Alright that's it.' No one called his kilt a skirt. It didn't matter that he was probably one of the tallest men Jamie had seen, he was going down. With all his strength Jamie punched the man mountain in the gut. Almost braking his fingers.

While he nursed his hand Carson coughed uncomfortably. 'They're not skirts Ronon. It's called a kilt, Jamie's what's called a highlander from my home. Hell, my great grandfather was a highlander from the clan Mc Gillion.'

'But you're a lowlander now?' Jamie asked, trying to shake some feeling back in to his hand.

'Aye. Grandma said it was a real disappointment to the clan.' Carson shrugged. After that there was an uncomfortable silence.

'So are we going now Doctor?' Victoria asked.

'Unless they can think of a terribly compelling reason for us to stay...' he said in a light tone. Not to Victoria but the small group blocking their way.

It was then the walls started talking. 'Hey McKay get a load of this:- we just reactivated one of those tank things...'

Then came the last thing Jamie ever wanted to hear:- 'EX-TERMINATE!' followed by two blood curdling screams.

'Hum... that might do.' The Doctor said in the same way you'd talk about the weather before glaring at the suddenly ashen faced group.

End Chapter Two


	4. Chapter 3

City of the Daleks.  
Chapter Three

Authors note:-  
Sorry for the time it's taken to get this one out. I had to rewrite it several times, mostly because instead of the second Doctor I was writing the ninth... Talk about wires crossed! "U-boat captain" opposed to "space hobo"!

Anyway; yes, this is set in season three. I've only recently been able to see the end of that year (DVDs take far too long to come out in my opinion) so Carson and Elisabeth are both still alive and Carter is still with SG-1. I really must read more spoilers!

* * *

Chapter Three

Their guest looked at them expectantly. Elisabeth was a little more worried about the scream. 'Rodney?' she barely heard her own voice but the room was dead and still after the Doctor's question.

'Those idiots! I told them not to do anything!' Rodney suddenly shouted. 'This is what happens when I can't finish my work. I end up having to fix the mess everyone else makes.'

'I know exactly how you feel my boy. But I don't think now it the time.' the Doctor said hurriedly. 'Quickly now we need to get to your control room. It is always best not to lose ones head in a crisis.' He reached out, grabbed Elisabeth's hand and pushed though her best officers.

Being dragged along by one hand Elisabeth noticed the Doctor seemed to be picking passageways and corridors at random. This was taking him the wrong way. Eventually he stopped; ' Oh dear... Er, you don't the the way from here do you?'

'Yes...' Elisabeth ventured.

'Oh good. You couldn't lead the way could you? I think I'm a bit lost.'

She spared a moment to look at him. 'This way.' Prising his hand off her arm she was able to reach her headset. 'This is Weir. What's happening?'

Chuck answered as she ran for the nearest transporter. 'We don't know Dr Weir. The radio was cut off during the attack.' With a glance she saw that all those in the infirmary were now following close behind.

'Chuck, have that entire sector locked up and sealed then cut power. Whatever they are I don't want them getting any further.' Stepping into the transporter with the Doctor she punched the gate room button. Stepping out of the chamber she virtually marched up the stairs and into the control room. 'Well?' she asked the Major.

He was already busy with the controls, Zelenka and Rodney were hot on her heels and quickly finished the orders. 'I mean how big an idiot do you have to be? Don't know what it is, lets just reactivate it and find out. Could have been anything.' Rodney grouched. 'I guess someone decided to put the idiots in charge today.'

'You'll find one persons ignorance is another's foolishness.' the Doctor said rather too flippantly. 'This is a good example. While shutting everything off might be a good idea it won't exactly get us very far. A Dalek gun is more than powerful enough to destroy the doors as easily as it does people.'

'So what do you suggest? Talk to them sternly?' John asked.

'Perhaps they will listen to reason.' Tayla supplied.

'That, lass, would be a very bad idea.' the Scotsman, Jamie, answered. 'Even if you do get close enough the only thing talking would do is tell them you're there.'

'Great. Sounds just like my mother. You can talk to her but she never listens.' Carson agreed. It was getting worrying how well those two got along.

'Just what we needed another enemy we can barely defeat.' John flung his arms in the air. 'What next, The Borg? The Skree empire?

That last one earned a look from their guest. 'How would a race of sentient shades of the colour purple have an empire? They can't touch anything for a start...'

'Right, if we've all finished.' Rodney had stood up and was by a screen showing a map of the city. 'The lab we had them in was here. Near that section's transporter. We've got the power shut down but they can't use it anyway, the platform's too small.'

The Doctor looked at the map for a moment 'How did you get them there?'

'We used a puddle-jumper. Got them through the gate and then down. There's a door over that section of the city. It's why we use that area of the city to house that sort of stuff.'

'Hum. I see... I see. Well perhaps it was a good idea to seal the city. But cutting the power. That's still a very big mistake.'

'Why?' Rodney asked.

'It means the locks aren't double locked! The Daleks just have to get power to them and then they will open. Oh dear, they're probably doing it right now! This place has internal scanners. Life sign detectors, visual relays and sound loops but without power none of them work. We can't see what they are doing, the Daleks could be anywhere!' He was panicking now, wringing his hands together in despair.

'We've been able to get the Life signs detector working. Same for the internal comms but other than that nothing.'

'Maybe you just haven't found the program yet.' the Doctor suddenly smiled and began exploring the pockets of his lose fitting pants. 'Now let me see...' he muttered before pulling up all sorts of things. Including a catapult and a knot of fishing wire. Then he produced a brown bag 'Oh! I wondered where these got to! Jelly baby.' He offered the bag to Rodney who looked at it like a dead fish. Elisabeth had to agree, this Doctor was changing gears on them faster than a race car.

Absently the Doctor gave the bag to Carson (who took one) and kept searching. 'Doctor, what are you looking for.' Elisabeth asked as he pulled out a thick, dog-eared, note book with some relief.

'Aye Doctor. I know Daleks and all that but these people did shoot us and bring this on themselves. Shouldn't we get going?' Jamie asked.

'Oh yes! Please Doctor I don't think I could stand to even see another Dalek. After what they did to Father...' the dark haired woman clung to the Doctor's side.

He patted her arm and smiled reassuringly. Yet another side of him, Elisabeth was having trouble keeping up. 'Yes I know Victoria, it's quite alright to be afraid but the Daleks have to be stopped. These people didn't know the danger. Neither did your father. As much as I would like to hold it against them these people are only human and can make mistakes. They have no concept of just how evil the Daleks are.'

The Doctor gently lifted the girl off his arm and onto Jamie's. Then he began flipping through the book as he continued; 'If those demented little pepper pots get control of this city they could use it. Escape from Skaro and become a mobile menace, roaming space virtually impregnable and impossible to predict.' After a moment he flicked the book sideways and then upside down. 'Ah ha. Power please.'

Rodney, who had set up next to one of the consoles typed at his laptop. 'I've got the power back but here isn't exactly a button here marked "camera".'

The Doctor got to the same console. 'Of course not. You walk into the city of Atlantis one day and expect to be given the keys? You people haven't even scratched the surface of what this place can do.' Then reading the book in one hand he started punching in commands. His hand was moving faster than humanly possible. When he stopped the main screen changed.

Instead of just life-sign detector the screen was split three ways from the centre. The bottom part showed the life signs detector, three angry looking triangles pulsed in the city, right where the lab should be. To the right Ancient script spooled off but she didn't have time to translate and on the left section it showed a picture. It was like a high angled, closed circuit, camera. In the last section the three things John had brought back were in the middle of the lab. Two of them facing each other with what she guessed were single eyes on the top of both.

'WE... ARE... ACTIVE!' The odd one out screeched. It had it's back to the others, plunger attached to a Naquada reactor. It's voice harsh, grating and shouting. Two lights on the top flashed in time with the words.

'LO-CATION; UN-KNOWN! TIME E-LAPSED; UN-KNOWN! MISSION; RE-QUIRED!'

'SEN-SORS INDICATE VAST A-LIEN LIFE-SIGNS!' The white ones screeched to each other. Then, together, the top dome spun to face their leader.

As one they demanded; 'OR-DERS?'

There was a long moment as the leader came around. Like a car it pulled of a perfect three point turn until it stopped. Elisabeth couldn't help but shudder as its turret panned across the room. Slowly it finished turning to its fellow Daleks. 'SEEEEK. LO-CAAAATE. EX-TERMI-NATEEEEE THEM ALLLL.' She could see it wobbling from side to side with each word, almost franticly.

'WARNING! WARNING!' the white one who had reported on sensors began moving backwards and forwards, its turret jerking wildly 'SEN-SORS IN-DI-CATE PRES-ENCE OF TIME LORD.

'IT IS THE DOK-TOR. THE EN-EMY OF THE DAAA-LEKS!' Their leader's eye whipped back and forth between the two others. 'PRI-MARY TAR-GET! PRIMARY TARGET! EXTERMINATE ALL! ALLLLLLLL!' It's voice was faster nearer the end of its rant. It wasn't frantic, it was a fanatic. In the most total and absolute sense of the word. Elisabeth felt her back go cold and her stomach tie itself in knots. The Wraith fed on humans because it was in their nature. The only malice came from a scant handful. They still had to be defeated but it wasn't like these Daleks.

Their evil was a purer breed. A fanatical need to kill. They were monsters and had to be stopped.

* * *

Ronon watched as Dr Weir's expression slid from horror to blank fear and then all the way into something hard. He'd seen the same thing in the mirror the day the Wraith destroyed his home.

He couldn't understand it. These stupid things were nothing like the Wraith. Three of them couldn't be a match for the soldiers of Earth, he could probably take them all on. Something held him back from saying that. The Wraith cruiser, the one they'd found the Daleks on. The three of them had totally destroyed it from the inside.

So Wraith stunners might not work on them, that's all the Wraith had after all. All it would take is a few proper ranged weapons to finish the job. 'John, Ronon. See what you can do.' She must have come to the same conclusion.

'I will go with you' Tayla volunteered.

'No Tayla I might need you here.' John suggested. 'Keep an eye on the life-signs detector and keep us up to date. If something bad happens lead another team to cut them off.'

'Alright John.'

'Now see here that's a very bad idea...' The Doctor started.

Ronon spun his gun out of its holster, catching the selector switch setting it to kill. 'Don't worry there's only three of them. We'll be done before lunch.'

'Oh dear, oh dear no. You don't understand.' the small man shook his hands. 'The Daleks are too powerful. They fought a war for thousands of years and are extraordinary good at it.' he began biting his finger knuckle. 'Oh no! You can't see it can you! The material their shells are made out of is all but impenetrable! Your guns won't be any use against them. You'll be killing yourselves!'

'You haven't seen what a P-90 can do at close range.' John assured him.

'You haven't seen what a Dalek can do! Please you have to listen to me!'

Dr Weir put a hand on his shoulder, 'Doctor, it will be okay. I want a full team of marines John. Don't take any chances.'

'I wasn't going to.' John reached for his radio. 'Major Lorne get your best men. We need you outside the main lab now.'

'It's not enough!'

'I'll go with them Doctor.' the boy volunteered

'I don't need a boy in a skirt to help.' Ronon turned, what use could he be?

'No you need someone that knows what they're doing. And stop calling my tartan a skirt, ya big daft flag pole.'

'Jamie! It's not a good idea. Stay here where its safe, for the moment at least.'

'I'll stay out of trouble Doctor, don't you worry. You know me.'

'That's what I'm afraid of.'

Ronon, John and the skirt boy ran for the nearest transporter. It was just down the main steps and across the hall so it gave them a moment. 'You, stay out of the way boy.'

'You're the idiots rushing to fight a Dalek, not me. I'm going with you to save you lot.'

Transporting across the city Ronon shook his shoulders, he never liked those things. They were too much like the thing on Wraith Darts. Lorne and about a dozen men were already there, loading their guns.

Lorne handed John a weapons vest and P90. 'What's the situation Colonel'

'We've got three hostile aliens. Each in some sort of armoured suit.' John briefed them. 'We don't know how much firepower it's going to take to shatter one but bet on a lot. I want concentrated fire power, the corridor isn't wide enough at this point for more than one at a time. So we set up the ambush here.'

'Who's the Scotsman?' one of them asked.

'I'm one of the few people that have met these things and lived to talk about it.'

'He's the expert.' Ronon shrugged. 'He's here to tell us we're all going to die.'

'Aye, that we are.' He agreed. The Satedan ignored the boy, he had no clue what they could do. Everyone took position either side of the main door, weapons ready.

'Tayla, where are they?' John asked into his headset.

'You have been detected. A single Dalek has been sent to intercept you.' her voice answered.

Ronon smirked.' Shouldn't take long. Sit back and watch skirt boy.'

'Oh aye. I know a stonecutter, he's very good at headstones. I'll have that carved for you lot.'

'John. It is just turning the corner now. The Doctor is quite insistent that you should retreat.'

'Here it comes!' Lorne shouted

Ronon looked around. The thing was just as stupid looking as Ronon remembered it only this time there wasn't anything silly about it. It almost dripped malice and evil. The same way you could look at a Wraith and know that it was a threat you could tell this Dalek was dangerous.

As one the group stepped out, took positions and opened fire.

They hit it with everything, whole clips of ammo, half a charge from his own pistol and even John's sidearm. It just stood there and took it. The bullets just bouncing off like rain. Energy pulses vaporising with no effect, other than scoring the paint. The armour of this thing was almost impossible.

Then it responded. 'EX-TERMINATE!' It's little stick to the right jerked and spat a blueish white charge. The marine it hit suddenly screamed and flashed. The light was so bright Ronon could see the man's skeleton glowing. The scream ended in a gargle and the kneeling soldier fell face first.

Then another shot, another flash and scream.

Another.

Another.

Another, they were so quick the shouts almost merged into one painful death.

John shouted and the survivors pealed back. More blue shots lanced out from the doorway, exploding against the far wall.

'What's its weakness? What the hell is its god damn weakness! Lorne shouted at the boy.

'It doesn't have one!' he shouted back. 'It just kills. Kills and keeps on killing until its the only thing left!'

John looked at Ronon. His eyes were asking "when did we lose control?" but instead of saying it John grabbed a C-4 charge, broke it in half and threw it at the Dalek. Ronon leaned out for a fraction of a second and fired.

The charge went up. The Dalek fired back.

Ronon had moved just fast enough. The Dalek missed by half an inch. 'That should slow it down.' John gasped. One of the marines poked his head around the corner.

Another death scream and blinding flash. 'Forget this! Get out of here!' John shouted. He slapped the back of a marine and they ran.

One marine, whose foot was just the wrong side of the corner, was also hit. The result was exactly the same as the head shot. Ronon realised it didn't matter where you were hit the Dalek gun killed you. Painfully.

The problem was he, Jamie and two others were trapped. The corridor entrance was between them and the transporter. John looked up as he realised. They didn't need to say anything. Someone was going to die before anyone got across.

* * *

Elisabeth was watching the disaster on the screen. Seven men dead in less than a minute. Four trapped and another five still in danger. How did this happen?

She half expected the Doctor to say "I told you so" instead he just took her hand and said softly; 'I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do from here. We have to trust them'

She agreed but her mind filled with images of the expedition members. Her friends and all those she was responsible for. They were all screaming that terrible scream and she let the tears fall down her face.

* * *

Ronon shared a look with the rest of his little group. 'I underestimated them...' he started.

'We'll make it.' one of the marines nodded. It might have sounded hollow but there wasn't much else to say.

'John, get out of the way.' Ronon growled and his friend simply nodded and jogged to the transporter

they made a dash for it.

The optimist didn't make it, catching the second shot after the first went wide. Ronon felt something hit him and for a moment he thought that was it. Another shot just missed and the three of them rolled under it.

It had been Jamie with an expert tackle, taking them down and out of shot. 'Thanks.' the marine nodded and scrambled for the transporter but ronon was more interested in something else.

As the other two ran he held back. Jaime must have noticed 'What do you think you're doing, you silly excuse for a claymore?' he shouted skidding to a stop

'I'm getting my gun.' Ronon growled. It sat there in the middle of the corridor, dropped when the idiot crashed into his back.

'Oh that's good. What happened to get out of here?'

'I'm not going anywhere without it.' Ronon turned on him, thing was there wasn't a chance in Hades of both getting it and surviving.

'Aye, Now I know how the Doctor feels when I want my knife back.' Jamie jumped around the corner and rolled just in time. A blue energy blast flew over his head and another just where he'd be going. Both missed as he landed flat, hand wrapped around Ronon's gun. Firing wildly Jamie rolled back, not wasting time trying to get up.

Ronon grabbed his foot when it was close enough and in a smooth move he spun, Throwing Jamie, skirt and all, down the corridor and to the transporter.

Something had happened to the Dalek. The large form dominating the corridor began firing at the celling; 'VISION IM-PAIRED! VISION IM-PAIRED! I CAN-NOT SEE! WARNING, I CAN NOT SEE!' it screeched.

Jamie handed him his gun back Ronon glanced out and around the corner. Bringing his pistol up he fired again, same effect as before. Nothing, but something had happened.

Still the small tanks gun stick waved back and forth, firing madly. The Dalek itself rocking from side to side, jerking backwards and forwards and screaming madly. It took only a glance to see what was different. Jamie had blown off the eye stalk.

They had to report this. It could be the brake they were looking for. 'Lets get out of here.' Ronon grabbed Jamie by the collar and half dragged him to the transporter. Where John was waiting.

'What the hell kept you? And what the hell was that Superman routine all about?'

'He wanted his gun back.' The boy answered. Ronon just shrugged an agreement.

'Your gun back? Okay, I can understand that.' He punched the button and they got out at Stargate operations. 'Don't do it again.'

'John are you alright?' Elisabeth ran down the main stairs to them.

The dark haired girl was just a few steps ahead of the older woman; 'Don't scare me like that Jamie McCrimmon!' she shouted and hit her friend's arm.

Ronon shared a glance with Lorne and the other surviving marines.'It's no good.' John sighed. 'Best we can do is blind them and that was with a lucky shot. They're bullet proof, stunner proof and I'm willing to bet just-about-anything-we-can-fire-at-them proof too.'

'Isn't there anything you can do? I'm pretty much certain that's got to be one of the most horrible ways to die.'

'Rodney, It's like throwing rocks at the Death Star!' John shouted. 'Little bitty rocks. Best you can do is hope they miss.' Ronon missed the reference and added it to the list of ones he would check up on. After seeing that "Jaws" film last week it should be good.

'That's going to be a lot more likely now that we can blind them.' Jamie supplied.

'I wouldn't be so sure of that Jamie. Not so sure at all. I think you'd all better get up here and see this.' The Doctor said in a nervous voice. They half ran back up to the control room and saw what he was on about.

One of the Daleks was in front of it's damaged comrade. The Doctor hit a few buttons and the angle changed. They watched their slim hope fade. As the damaged eye stalk fell out the other one dropped its plunger on one of it's companions globes.

'What's it doing?' Ronon asked but no one had to answer. As the plunger retracted it pulled out a new eye stalk. A moment later it was in place and there was a flash. The plunge withdrew and the damage was fixed.

'It looks like they developed a way around that weakness.' The Doctor said with grim humour. 'Next plan anyone?'

End Chapter Three


	5. Chapter 4

City of the Daleks.  
Chapter Four

'We are so dead.' Rodney whined

'I'd hate to agree with you on that one but the evidence seems to agree.' The Doctor nodded.

John was just angry. 'We're not dead. Not yet. Elisabeth, we've got some anti-tank weapons in storage.'

'John you can't be serious...'

'Take a note as to how serious I am.' he growled out between clenched teeth.

'Even if you have some they might not work against the Daleks. Their armour...'

'We are so dead!'

John rounded on the Doctor and Rodney. 'Not another word. Not one single word that isn't a helpful suggestion. You got that?'

Ever the diplomat Elisabeth tried to calm him down 'John, we don't know what we're dealing with...

'I know I brought it here. Four men are dead because of me and were no closer to stopping those things. Now other than destroying that part of the city does anyone have a better plan?'

'No John we don't.' She shouted back. 'but even I know the damage you can do to the city with those things. There's no guarantee you'll do anything other than get more people killed.'

'Is that all you care about? The city?'

'Of course not. I'm worried that after you go trigger happy with a rocket launcher you take out an important part of the city's defence. Something we can't fix. Then where would we be if the Wraith show up?' Elisabeth actually stared him down. 'But you didn't think that far ahead John. You never do! If you did we would never be in this mess!'

Their short guest whistled. 'This is hardly the time to argue.' He said calmly, how he could go from panicked to rational at the drop of a hat John didn't know. 'We need to pool our resources. Our knowledge. Between me and Jamie there isn't much we don't know about the Daleks. You know more about the city's current state. So instead of finding a bigger gun to hit them with and running in to the jaws of death half cocked. Let's, as I've said, have a plan.'

'I'm with him on this John.' Ronon agreed, it only took a glance for John to realise everyone was against him. It took half the time for him to see it himself.

'Well other than a really big gun I don't have a plan.' he admitted.

'We better come up with one soon people.' Rodney shouted. 'They've just found the bio lab.'

'Anyone inside?' Elisabeth asked needlessly. Everyone was already looking at the life signs detector.

Fourteen blips and three Daleks.

Carson was the first to react. 'My god! Beckett to Dr Caleb. Get out of the bio toxicology lab! Right NOW!'

The screen changed to a visual. A high camera mounted in a corner it looked like at least. Dr Caleb was a tall thin man. They watched him tap his head set; 'Is something wrong Dr Beckett?' And the doors opened...

Elisabeth choked out; 'Is there any other exit?'

'No' Beckett, the Doctor and Rodney said together.

The three alien killing machines glided in, taking up positions and then facing the scientists. Caleb took a step forward. 'H... Hello?' John spun to the Doctor...

'EX-TERM-IN-ATE!' the three killers shouted at once.

'Turn it off!' John shouted at the Doctor. He moved to the controls but was too slow. They got to see Dr Caleb's death. Hear his scream, before he fell the screen switched back to the Life-signs detector.

With horror they watched fourteen pale blue dots flicker and vanish.

'They were scientists!' Tayla whispered, her voice thick. 'They were harmless, innocent. Why? How could any creature do that in cold blood?'

The control room was silent. Not a sound, No one had an answer. Then there was a fizzle on the headsets. Somewhere a radio had activated. 'CO-MMUNICATION FRE-QUEN-CY A-CHIEVED. A-TTENTION HU-MANS. THIS IS THE VOICE OF THE DAL-EKS.

'YOU ARE DEFENCE-LESS. FUR-THER RE-SIST-ANCE IS FU-TILE. YOU WILL LEAVE YOUR HOMES. YOU WILL LEAVE YOUR OF-FI-CES. YOU WILL LAY DOWN YOUR WEA-PONS AND GA-THER IN SE-LEC-TED AR-E-AS. YOUR EX-E-CU-TION WILL BE SWIF-T.

'YOUR LEA-DERS HAVE T-HREE BREEM-S TO RE-PLY.'

'How long is that?' Elisabeth asked their guest.

'Doesn't matter.' John growled and hit the city wide PA. 'Attention tin pots. Resistance is our middle name and we're going to blow you back to whatever twisted planet you came from! Hear that!'

'YOU WISH TO RE-SIST? YOUR DEATH-S WILL BE PAIN-FUL. DA-LEKS RE-SET WEA-PONS TO MINIMUM POW-ER.'

'What is that supposed to do?' John threw over his shoulder.

'Dalek guns can kill at any setting.' The Doctor winced. 'The lower the output, the longer it takes to die.'

'Son of a bitch.' John growled. Pressing the PA again John said two words, he only hoped they sounded as brave as they needed to be. 'Bring it.'

* * *

Tayla couldn't shake the chill from the scientist's death. Never, in the years she had lived, had she seen a race so willing to kill for so little reason. 'I have never seen anything so terrible in all my days...'

The Doctor looked at her, mirth in his eyes. 'When you've seen so few my dear I wouldn't be so surprised. But your right, the Daleks are amongst the most dangerous creatures in space or time.'

'Don't feel insulted lassie.' the one called Jamie tried to be supportive. 'The Doctor here is over two hundred and he hasn't seen it all!'

'Two hundred...

'Two hundred and fifty-six. Years, in the way you measure time.' He shrugged it off. 'Jamie's right, I haven't seen nearly enough of this universe.'

'...None of us are going to see anymore of it if we don't deal with these guys.' Rodney needlessly pointed out. 'Right .We need a plan so let's work one out. Err, let me see:-

'We attack them; they're bullet proof. We plant a bomb; we take out a chunk of Atlantis and we think they can still walk through it. What's left?'

Tayla had an idea. 'Wait, they have no legs. How can they ascend the stair wells? We already know they will not fit into the transporters. Are they not trapped?'

'Aye, she's got a point.' Carson smiled. 'Tayla, love, that's brilliant!'

She looked to the Doctor. The strange man was shaking his head slowly before pressing more console controls. Tayla watched the screen, it showed the three Daleks stopped in a open room. They looked up, their little gun sticks wiggling for a moment.

As one they fired, blowing a hole in the celling. 'What's that going to do?' Ronon asked.

'Oh no... No WAY!' Rodney shouted at the screen 'You can NOT...!' but they could.

'Can nothing stop them?' Elisabeth whispered.

The three metal machines glowed at their base and raised. Floating, much like the Puddle Jumper entering it's hanger, the Daleks glided up and through the hole. 'So much for the stairs.' Ronon pointed out.

'Everything we can think to stop them they have a counter to. Replacement eyes, flying, practically invincible.'

'What if they run out of power? They did before.' Radek suggested from his console.

'Unlikely,' Rodney replied. ' "Weapons to minimum", remember? They drained a naquada generator dry. There's more than enough power there.'

'It's worse.' The Doctor supplied.

'It can't get any worse!' Rodney and John said at the same time.

'It can.' The old man said in a voice like steel. 'They want Atlantis. Three Daleks could level the city, they wouldn't have to waste power flying. They would just topple buildings.'

'I promise you they won't get it. John?' Elisabeth growled The actions of the Daleks were inexcusable and while Tayla's friend might be a person of peace she knew when to back up a threat.

'Self-destruct?' John asked.

'I'm setting it for two hours.' She strode to one of the Laptops. 'If we don't have a working plan by then well this will serve as a back up.' John followed.

'What is a self-destruct?' the girl that accompanied the Doctor asked, Tayla believed her name to be Victoria.

She explained to the younger woman; 'We can destroy the city if we need to. Only if there is a dire emergency or need.'

'Well we certainly got that now ain't we.' the Scotsman said

Dr Beckett agreed with him. 'Aye' and surprisingly so did Ronon. Tayla could tell that the brief battle had left an impression on Ronon. Not only did the Daleks frighten the imposing Runner but the Scotsman's bravery had impressed him. Even after his reservations about the young man's dress.

That was something she would have to ask Dr Beckett about later. The Doctor looked out at his strange craft, still sitting in the middle of the gate room. 'I can get most of you off Atlantis inside my ship.'

'But not all of us?'

'Not enough time to get everyone up here and the Daleks are making their way up.' he admitted. 'They'll want to take out the leaders here first and then work their way back down. If anyone get caught making their way up here...'

'I'm not running.' Ronon growled. 'Not from them, not from anything again.'

John turned from the controls. A read light began flashing on most of the Earth equipment. 'Well we have just under two hours to think up a better plan than cut and run.'

After a moment. 'Any suggestions?'

'I can do the count down.'

'Not helpful Rodney' John growled.

'Look, the only thing we can do to stop these things is fire a drone at them. Once again taking out a significant amount of the city. They're in the main tower by now. If we thought we could damage the city before, hit anything in here we can't fix it. Oh and guess what? You can't shoot drones inside Atlantis because they're too fast to turn the corners!'

The Doctor looked back around 'You can launch the city's point defence missiles?'

'For all the good it will do, yes. Weren't you listening when I said "too fast to go round corners"?' Rodney replied as only he could.

'We just need an open space.' the Doctor pointed at the open gate room

'And three drones, we can't control them like that...' Rodney pointed out again.

But John had an idea, the Colonel joined the Doctor looking out across the room. 'We get them up here. Take them outside... Are they waterproof?'

'Not at any great depth. The window?'

'Why not?' John beamed a smile. 'Elisabeth we might have a plan that works!'

'And for those of us that don't speak your secret language?' she asked, eyebrows raised to make the point.

They explained it.

* * *

Ronon looked to Jamie. The two of them had been given the "Bait" part of the plan. Neither had liked it but it was what they were good at. Fight and stay alive. The metal monsters should be coming round the corner any minute. They were to shoot, get noticed, and get the hell out of there. With luck the Daleks would follow them.

They had to make look like they were a delaying tactic, The Doctor and John agreed that would make them think they were buying time. In fact what they were doing was keeping the Daleks focused on the two of them and not killing any of the scientists stuck in any of the rooms.

One of the things came around the corner. Jamie threw the smoke bomb, bouncing it off the Daleks armoured side. Ronon fired and they dived out of the way. No one thought the smoke would do any good but they had ran out of rocks.

The gun did as much as the smoke and the Dalek fired after them. Running Jamie pulled up his loaned P90. He was a fast learner and just needed practice. Ducking a ray blast Ronon watched his new friend fire, trying to cover him. He was missing but making enough noise to split the Daleks attention.

Tayla ran around the corner with the other visitor. 'We've got their attention! Ronon shouted.

'Then I suggest we retreat.' Tayla called back as the other woman threw a flash grenade.

'Take that!' she cried viciously. Ronon knew that tone of voice, these things had hurt her in the past but she had enough intelligence not to get herself killed in the name of vengeance. Ronon's opinion of the Doctor raised another notch, if these two were willing to travel with him there must be much more to him than met the eye.

The two groups fell back and met with Lorne's team, what was left of it. The Major was firing into the corridor, his team-mate dead at his feet. 'What took you?'

'Those.' Jamie answered as another blue ray shot too close.

'Let us flee while we can!' Tayla fired at the two Dalek's eye's behind them. The five humans ran for the stairs. They couldn't risk losing the damn things by going through the lift.

The Daleks flew after them. The young woman used up all her flash grenades, Jamie his smoke bombs, to slow them down. It worked, just.

Rolling through the doors to the gate room Ronon wasn't surprised when the Scotsman was the second man through. Instead of running he pulled Tayla and then Lorne through, Ronon got his friend and they ran for the blue box.

As they dived in the Daleks fired, the shot exploding against an invisible force field over the door.

The Doctor closed them and let out a breath. 'Have fun?' he asked.

Lorne answered; 'I lost a man. How is that fun?'

'I'm sorry, its not.' The Doctor nodded before touching a control. 'Colonel Shepherd, Phase one complete.'

* * *

John heard the message and grinned. Bringing up the HUD he had it tap into the city's surveillance. It showed the Stargate and three Daleks in front of it, firing at the blue box.

A quick mental command and the Jumper bay doors opened. Dropping his ship through the gap the Puddle-jumper slid down into launch position. Only thing was that the three Daleks were in the way.

Not a problem. John grinned, opened the Jumpers drone pods and deactivated the cloak. Giving them a moment to notice him John waited until their eye stalks turned and he fired.

Two drones picked up Daleks each, punching them out of the stained glass window and into the sea. The last one tried to move and got it's own two drones sending him out of Atlantis. Somewhere in the distance the drones exploded.

End Chapter Four


	6. Chapter 5

City of the Daleks.  
Chapter Five

John came down the steps from the Jumper Bay and into the control room; 'And that's that.'

'W... What about the window' the dark haired girl asked.

McKay jumped in. 'No problem, we found an automated factory on the city plan. It's not the first time we've had to replace a bit of glass. Perhaps you'd like to see it working I could arrange something.' John tried not to notice that Rodney was, now the disaster was over, trying to get her attention but she was on to him.

She smiled nervously, but politely 'No thanks Doctor McKay. I'll take your word for it.' Her Scottish friend, Ronon and Carson of all people sent withering glare at the annoying little man

'Well I better see to it anyway.' Rodney mumbled glancing at the three of them and left. John was more interested at the look the Doctor was giving the smashed window and open sky.

'Something wrong?' he asked

The Doctor replied with a panicked look. 'There is? Oh dear, oh dear I don't like this.'

'Like what?' Elisabeth asked, coming up to them.

'It was too easy. Far, far too easy. There must be something we didn't think of, but what?'

'Almost twenty people dead and you call that easy?' John burst out. 'Some of those people were our friends.'

'I know and I'm terribly sorry for them but three Daleks should have done much more damage.'

'Maybe we got lucky?'

John looked at Elisabeth; 'Lucky, we don't get lucky, at least not in that way. You think they left us a little present? A computer virus or something like that?'

The Doctor looked at him, horrified. 'That's exactly the sort of thing they would do!'

John wasn't going to give the murdering dustbins the chance. He took a team to investigate the area. They searched everywhere the Daleks had been but it looked like the desperate plan had worked. Their hasty conceived plan had drawn the Daleks out too quickly. They didn't have a chance to set up any tricks or sabotage.

As they spent time searching every square inch for a bomb or anything else they could come up with John had a terrible realisation; just who was keeping an eye on the Doctor. Then he remembered Ronon was doing that. When he called his friend to check the response John got was. 'I thought you were doing it.'

The two of them ran all the way back to the stargate, John bumping into Ronon right next to the main transporter in the sector. Tapping his head set 'Elisabeth, where is the Doctor?'

'He's right... where...?'

John almost swore as Ronon jabbed the control. They ran into the Gate room in time to hear the last note of the blue box vanishing. 'This is just not our day.' John punched his hand.

'How did he do that?' Ronon just had to ask

'A good magician, Ronon, knows the benefit of a distraction.' Elisabeth hopped down the stairs. 'My uncle was a stage magician, he could pull rabbits out of hat's and saw me in half with the best of them.' Ronon blinked at her and she managed a rueful smile. 'Its a trick. You distract with one hand and...' She snapped her fingers.

'John saw what she was doing but Ronon hadn't. He half jumped back. 'Nice trick.'

'Oh if I had time I'm sure I could make you swear I had cut John in half. I might even try it with Rodney one day. That's not the point, find anything or was it all just a wild goose chase?'

'Nothing. Looks like they could have tried but we knew as much when they stared using the radios.'

Elisabeth watched the clouds roll by out side the gaping hole that was a window. 'I feel like we were stuck in the middle of something a lot bigger than us. The classified records, just why the Doctor came here in the first place, who the Daleks really are and why they were in this galaxy. Too many questions and not enough answers. We've been reeling back for mistake after mistake and been making bigger ones because we had no idea what we were up against.

'Call back your search teams John and meet me in the conference room.' Elisabeth looked around before touching her headset. 'Rodney, Radek. I want both of you in the conference room, right now. Carson, you too please.'

The group met in the Conference room and Elisabeth didn't bother to sit down as she came in last. 'Rodney, I want you to go though the Ancient database with a fine tooth comb. John, help him. You're looking for anything more on this Doctor or his people.

'Carson, Radek; I want the two of you to compile everything we know about these Daleks. Full report, including how they kill and whatever research you got through.

'Ronon your coming with me, we're going to Earth and finding out everything we can about UNIT. How they had access to SGC files. Who they are and just what connection they have to the Doctor. Get going people.' With that she left, Ronon quickly following behind her.

* * *

Rodney had finished his third cup of coffee. 'Still no luck. I can't even find the original reference file. How about you... Shepherd?' Looking around his monitor he saw the colonel with a set of head phones on dancing on his seat.

Reaching around he pulled the jack out and cut back in the main speakers. The Colonel was playing a video game. 'Rodney! what are you doing?' he asked sparing a moment to look up and pull out the earphones.

'What am I doing, what are you not doing?' Rodney jumped up and recognised the game. It looked like Asteroids. 'Elisabeth told you to help.'

John was looking intently at the screen. 'I am helping, just having a break.'

The little ship thing drifted past a little rock and spun, blowing it away. 'Ohh nice shot.'

'Thanks it's my high score. So what have you found out?'

'Nothing. Ohh watch out for the...' a big warbling thing came in from the side of the screen.

Shepherd's little triangle darted forward again and spun, snapping off two quick shots before disappearing and reappearing safe elsewhere 'I saw it. What do you mean nothing? It was there, we all saw it.'

Rodney watched the little triangle fly between two big bumpy things and snap off another couple of shots blowing them up. 'It swallowed it back up. You know what it's like trying to find your way though this system. You think you get some where and it vanishes.'

'I know. You said it was fragmented. Just run a defrag.'

Rodney watched the little triangle move around, dodging and destroying more bad graphics. 'It would take years to put it all back together. Even longer, it still works and the core program is intact so there's no reason. Besides Atlantis doesn't have a defrag program' There was something tickling the back of his thoughts. Shepherd blew up another rock, scattering little rocks everywhere. The little triangle jumped again. 'No, that would be...' Then it hit. Oh it was brilliant, he had to be brilliant just to think it was possible. Whoever did it must have been one of the best minds in the universe. It only stood to reason because Rodney had only just grasped it.

Shepherd didn't' notice his friends revelation. 'Would be what?' he asked trying to follow the sudden left u-turn the discussion had taken. Rodney didn't answer, he just jumped back to his computer. There was something he had to find...

* * *

Ronon watched their pilot as he guided the ship up and into the hanger they had designed. Earth, his first trip there. He didn't expect much but a drab grey concrete wasn't it. It looked like the Ancestors were the only ones not to use grey in their construction. A couple of people stood in the hanger, one in a blue shirt uniform and another in a sort of dull green uniform. The one in green pulled off his glasses, it was Dr Jackson. 'Doctor Weir, Ronon. Welcome to Earth.'

'Dr Jackson, General Landry. We've just had a interesting day, three things identified as Daleks were found.'

'Daleks?' Landry asked but Dr Jackson had gone suddenly pale.

'What happened?' he asked.

'Not much, we lost over twenty good people and got a lot of unanswered questions. Including who the Doctor is.'

Dr Jackson was very quiet and even paler than before. General Landry just looked at him. 'What do you know Jackson?' he asked.

'I know enough to be afraid. we need a meeting in my office. No radios, I've got to keep this from Vala somehow...' He left the little hanger quickly.

'Dr Jackson, what's this about?' Dr Weir asked, shouting after him.

'The Doctor.' he called back.

* * *

Carson supervised the movement of the bodies with a wince. Good people, a cursory inspection of them showed no scaring, cuts or bruising. No evidence of how they died but they were dead, from the feel of it their internal organs were full of liquid. Wincing again he made sure the last person's eyes were closed before waving the two assistants on.

Turning back to the lab he went in and looked in on Radek. The smell of ozone and death were strong. It was a fact that on death the body lost bowl and bladder control, one of the more demeaning things about dying. 'Radek?'

'I'm coming, I'm coming Carson.' He said muffled. The scientist came out with a folder under his arm and a paper towel over his nose. 'Ohh Bad, bad, bad. These were all the notes we were able to make and a few samples we took from their...' he muttered something in his native language. 'Outer... casing.'

'Well Elisabeth wanted us to work together. I don't know how much help I'll be to you but I might need your help with the method of death. It's got me stumped.'

'That,' another bust of Czech, this time cursing, 'smell?'

Carson managed a smile. 'The bodies will be cleaned and prepared. You don't have to...'

'I will. they are, were my friends.' Radek nodded sombrely before juggling the weight of the folder.

'Just don't tell Rodney.' Carson joked

Radek was able to smile. 'My lips are sealed.'

* * *

A day or so later Elisabeth walked into the Conference Room she was shaken by what she and Ronon had found out. Rodney looked ready to jump out of his skin with some brand new discovery.

Carson and Radek weren't as happy. In fact they looked down right ill. Sitting at the centre of the table at her usual seat Elisabeth looked over at John to her right. 'What's up with those two.'

He shrugged 'Don't know, haven't seen them all day. Rodney's ready to pitch a fit though. You will not believe what he found out.'

I don't believe what I found out John. I doubt I'm going to be surprised by whatever Rodney discovered.'

He just smirked back. She shook her head and stood up. 'All right, here we go. Everyone, I've talked to you individually and we've all agreed.' She looked pointedly at Rodney. 'However reluctantly. To present our findings. Radek, Carson you're up first.

'But, but...' Rodney tried to argue but was stared down.

Carson stood up, visibly shaken and ill 'R... Radek will go over what we learned from the scans taken before they were recharged.'

After a brief burst of Czech Radek started. 'Well what we know. Um. armour. Their armour is an hyper advanced alloy.' he pushed up his glasses. 'From the samples taken they,' burst of his native language. 'Partake. Absorb. Can absorb energy. It also has elements in common with memory alloys. It can self repair.'

'What? How?'

Radek took of his glasses and bent them in half. Letting them go they bounced back into shape. Elisabeth had seen adverts for glasses like them. 'Memory alloys are difficult. This one uses the energy absorbed to help.'

Rodney waved a finger. 'You're saying they use the energy absorbed to boost the structural integrity. Make it stronger and self repairing. We're in trouble.''Yes we are.' Radek agreed, waving a finger importantly. 'But there is a way around this. I believe, from what we saw, that it is not an instant conversion. A sudden and powerful impact would crack and destroy their armour. Before it can absorb the energy. That is what the Drone did.'

John shrugged 'Sabot rounds should do it.'

'What?

'105 shells, anti-tank cannon rounds with a magnesium hot load to burn through tanks.' John shrugged. 'That should put a big enough hole in whatever they use. We haven't got any on hand at the moment but I could request some.'

'I'll see to it John.' Elisabeth nodded.

'Isn't that like using a bazooka to take out a Reliant Robin?' Carson asked. 'A really badly made car.' He explained. 'Then again we haven't even got to the bad part yet.'

Rodney frowned; 'What bad part?'

'Their guns' the two of them answered at once. 'Carson, your turn.'

'Aye.' the Scottish doctor stood as Radek sat down. 'Well I can safely say that what these things do to the human body has got to be the worst thing I've ever heard of. I've never seen anything like it. When I examined the victims bodies I didn't find any injuries. I opened the first body and found... I found... I'm sorry.' Carson looked away before swallowing and looking up again.

Completely professional Carson looked Elisabeth dead in the eye before looking at each of them. 'The effect of the weapon is to completely destroy the cell wall of the soft tissue in a human body. While not a hundred percent effective the final result is the liquefaction of all internal organs. The bone structure and skin remains intact, as does the brain. As far as I can tell the person is still alive after the process is complete.

'Somehow the brain remains intact as does a significant portion of the nerve system. The subject... The... they die later from the effects. Possibly still in pain.'

Elisabeth just looked at him. it was the truth, the horrible truth. 'What do you mean by "not a hundred percent effective"?' Ronon asked.

'The organs become a thin broth like substance. Held together in the body by the skin and in shape by the bones. When I started the autopsy the body burst like a balloon full of water.' Carson's face said it all Elisabeth didn't bother saying anything. She couldn't. Fleeing the room she ran to the nearest bathroom where she simply threw up.

John wasn't feeling very well. As one of the worst ways to go that one sounded like a winner.

Sabot rounds were the way to go, blow the bastards up on sight. Elisabeth came back in looking pale and drawn. 'Thank you Carson.' She croaked.

'Don't worry about it love, I threw up too.' he said sympathetically

Radek nodded. 'He did, as did I.'

'I don't blame you.' John agreed. Sitting down gingerly Elisabeth eased herself into her seat.

'Thank you, it's not every day most of your command staff sympathise with... well.

'Rodney it's your turn.' she finished with a wan smile

Johns irritating friend jumped up and typed out a few commands on his tablet PC 'Okay, I can't out gross Carson's findings and I don't want to try but this is bigger, way bigger. So, who here want's to know who built Atlantis. More importantly, why is it so hard to get anything out of the mess that is the Ancient Database.'

'I thought the Ancients built Atlantis Rodney.' Carson pointed out.

'They did, and an Ancient was the Architect. But he had help.'

'The Doctor.' John explained. 'but he did more than just lend a hand. Rodney tell em'

End chapter 5

* * *

Authors note:-  
No I'm not going to make the Ancients some second fiddle group to the Doctor. They are still going to be the biggest race on the block, I'm just going to give them a richer history that's all


End file.
